Stará Paka: Culture, Landscape and Cycling Routes

Stará Paka between valley, culture and active pursuits

Stará Paka combines a clearly recognisable valley landscape with traces of history and various opportunities for active days. The Rokytka stream runs through the town from southeast to northwest. At the same time, Stará Paka lies in a valley formed by Příčnice Hill and the Staropackých hor mountain range. The shape of the valley connects the course of the Rokytka with the surrounding elevations and gives the town a clearly structured spatial character. The stream and the mountain ranges form two distinct landscape elements: a linear course through the valley and the surrounding rises. For your travel planning, this creates a destination where landscape, culture and activity can be compared with one another.

Historic Buildings and Sacred Art

The history of the town is particularly vividly illustrated by the former school No. 22. The single-storey timber-framed house stands on a masonry base and has a shingle-covered gabled roof with a half-hipped roof. It was built around 1790 and used as a branch school from 1799 onwards. Today, the former school No. 22 houses the local library. A late Baroque cross stands in front of the building.

The Baroque Church of St. Lawrence in Stará Paka dates from 1754 to 1760. It stands on a hill next to a cemetery with sculptures and gravestones from the 18th and 19th centuries. Its furnishings include an illusionistic altar by J. Kramolín from 1780. The historical impression is complemented by a statue of Saint Anne teaching the young Virgin Mary, dating from 1797. The statue of Saint John of Nepomuk from 1803 is located in a niche chapel built later.

The construction is particularly clear at the former school: the masonry base supports the single-storey timber-framed house, while the shingle-covered gabled roof with a half-hipped roof determines the roof form. In the Church of St. Lawrence, the illusionistic altar is part of the furnishings; the niche chapel provides the architectural setting for the statue of Saint John of Nepomuk.

At the entrance to the cemetery stands The Crucified, a valuable artefact from 1856 from the workshop of A. Sucharda, who came from Nová Paka. Together with the church, cemetery and former school, it forms a cultural focal point whose individual details can be given different weight when planning your day.

Cycling Route, Railway Line and Ski Lift

Tourist routes run through the municipality of Stará Paka. These include KČT cycling route No. 4294 from Libštát to Hostinné. The national railway line 030 from Liberec to Jaroměř also runs through Stará Paka.

The Kundratický Circuit is another option for cycling: a moderately difficult, 37 km-long cycling route that passes through Stará Paka. The length of 37 kilometres and the moderate difficulty level help you assess the scope of the bike tour in advance. On the southern slopes of the Staropackých hor mountain range, there is a ski lift with a 400 m descent. The different route and activity details help you distinguish between a culture-focused stay, a longer cycling tour and a winter excursion theme.

If you would like to include more places in your research, you can find Cholenice, Staré Hrady, Libun, Úhlejov, Dílce, Kbelnice, Kněžnice and Stav here.

For the higher-level travel overview: Jičín District.